Gathering Speed
Across Europe, new golf venues like the Duke’s Course at St. Andrews are elevating the sport
Golf is europe’s fastest-growing sport, according to Karen Misuraca, founder of the new Web magazine BestGolfResortsoftheWorld.com. “Thriving economies and aging populations with time and money on their hands, combined with the worldwide ‘Tiger factor,’ are resulting in a phenomenal increase in courses, from 6,000 today to a projected 10,000 within the next decade,” she says. The best part? This sudden momentum has created a field of course choices across Europe for all levels of golfers to enjoy.
New Game in Town
An hour’s drive from Edinburgh, the Duke’s Course at St. Andrews is a refreshing heathland course with a serene setting in a links town. Opened in 1995, the course was revamped by Tim Liddy in 2006. New, soft sand bunkers are an organic part of the landscape, unlike the Old Course’s packed bunker walls, and heather, broom, gorse, and bracken provide a pleasing palette. akohlerexperience.com
A Big Hit
Designed in 1998 by Stan Eby, Angel Gallardo, and Neil Coles of European Golf Design, and set on a wooded estate in Costa Brava, 45 minutes from Barcelona, PGA Golf de Catalunya is a haven for long hitters, but its new North Course is great for golfers of all levels. The new hotel complex makes this a great base for other Costa Brava courses as well. pgacatalunya.com
Carrick’s Course
An archaeological discovery delayed the opening of this heathland course 30 minutes from Glasgow, but the Carrick on Loch Lomond should be ready for duffers by June 2007. The par-3 14th, which stretches from the summit of a hill down to a green on the water’s edge, is one of the most breathtaking holes in the country. thecarrick.com
The Grove’s sixth hole.
Chipping in Camelot
Kyle Phillips’ 2003 creation at the Grove, a hotel just 40 minutes from London, has golfers rhapsodizing about streams, hedges, ancient oaks, and chestnut trees. Its modern layout blends seamlessly with the 18th-century country house that fronts the opening holes. The site of the 2006 World Golf Championships–American Express Championship, the Grove course is blessed with enough buzz to make a lot of honey. thegrove.co.uk
A Pair of Legends
A stone altar near the 12th green of Druids Glen indicates the hole was an ancient site of worship. The parkland course includes topiaries and nesting kingfishers on the 13th hole, though it is only 30 minutes from the frenzy of Dublin. Nearby, along the Irish Sea, Druids Heath (designed by Pat Ruddy) hosted a Ryder Cup Tour event in 2004, only a year after opening. druidsglen.ie
No Dune Buggies
Forty miles west of Shannon, Greg Norman’s first course in Ireland (built in 2002) may also be the last built on the country’s western shoreline. But the designers of Doonbeg Golf Club took care to protect the local environment, including the course’s centuries-old, 100-foot sand dunes. doonbeggolfclub.com
Changes Afoot
Forty-five minutes from Bristol, the Celtic Manor Resort’s golf courses are currently being remodeled, but they’re due to reopen in summer 2007. The Wentwood Hills Championship Course, renamed the Ryder Cup Course, will have nine new holes in the Usk Valley and total more than 7,400 yards. The new Montgomerie Course refashions elements of the old Coldra Woods Academy course along with the old Wentwood’s leftover nine. celtic-manor.com
Wear a Windbreaker
The wind is always blowing at Oitavos Golfe, designed by Arthur Hills and Drew Rogers in 2002. Thirty minutes from Lisbon, the course links the hills of Sintra with the beaches of Guincho along the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the luxurious Quinta da Marinha resort community, Oitavos has hosted plenty of European tour events. quintadamarinha-oitavosgolfe.pt
Peak Golfing
For golf that’s on a par with the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc, book the Severiano Ballesteros Course at Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre, four courses about 5,000 feet above the Rhone Valley and two hours from Geneva. Updated in the 1990s, the course is a classic, having hosted the European Masters since 1948. golfcrans.ch
— Judth Kirkwood
Getting There: All the destinations covered in “Go Explore” can be reached by flying Continental Airlines. To book your vacation, contact Continental Airlines Vacations at covacations.com.
